My Writing Tips

Characterization Part 2

I realized there were some things I didn't cover in the last part, so I'm just going to address them over here.

This part is mainly for fanfiction writers, but other writers are more than welcome!

Word of advice for fanfiction characterization- don't be afraid to read other people's works. I can guarantee there's someone out there who's written exactly what you're looking for. Tumblr is where I get the majority of my character ideas as well as Pinterest. (Pinterest is also really helpful for writing prompts and other advice.) This does not mean steal someone else's work or take credit from their ideas. You can say where you got the idea from/where it's based off of. (Make sure you make the plot your own.)

So to make your fanfiction look like it wasn't written by a 12-year-old, make sure you read plenty of the character you want to emulate.

For example, if you want to make a very rude and rough character someone soft and gentle, there could be different ways they show their gentle side. There are four ways I can think of at the moment:

1- Completely Soft: This version might still be a little rough with their friends, but it's all in fun and games and the character means so harm.

2- Single Soft: There is only one person who gets to see their soft side, and no one else.

3- Domestic: Older version of the character, probably has a job, could be married with a family (your choice), but overall their rough-and-tumble personality has mellowed out over the years but still has a few bad habits pop up here and there.

4- The Romantic: This character wouldn't be caught dead saying they have a crush, total tsundere if you know what I mean. Like the Single Soft, they don't show their soft side and try to hide it as much as they can, even from the person they like. (Basically just a tsundere.)

Because it's fanfiction, be sure to have fun with it, but please don't ruin a character for a specific scene that obviously doesn't work for them. It's just really awkward and hard to read. If you need to, go back and rewrite some of the things you wrote previously, clean up a few scenes here and there until it flows. Nothing is wrong with editing and rewriting- that's part of the process of writing.

Good luck and happy writing!! ^w^